The journal aims to publish papers which bring together clinical observations, psychological and behavioural abnormalities and genetic data. All papers are fully refereed.

Psychiatric Genetics is also a forum for reporting new approaches to genetic research in psychiatry and neurology utilizing novel techniques or methodologies. Psychiatric Genetics publishes original Research Reports dealing with inherited factors involved in psychiatric and neurological disorders. This encompasses gene localization and chromosome markers, changes in neuronal gene expression related to psychiatric disease, linkage genetics analyses, family, twin and adoption studies, and genetically based animal models of neuropsychiatric disease. The journal covers areas such as molecular neurobiology and molecular genetics relevant to mental illness.

Reviews of the literature and Commentaries in areas of current interest will be considered for publication. Reviews and Commentaries in areas outside psychiatric genetics, but of interest and importance to Psychiatric Genetics, will also be considered.

Psychiatric Genetics also publishes Book Reviews, Brief Reports and Conference Reports.